Aviation Insider

Articles giving aviation insights

Civil Aviation Ministry May Reform Airline Ticket Cancellation Policy!

AirWhizzJul 02, 2018 No Comments

Civil Aviation Ministry May Reform Airline Ticket Cancellation Policy!

Aviation Insider

In May 2018, the Civil Aviation Ministry had submitted a passenger draft to change the rules regarding cancellation of airline tickets.

The rules say that passengers can cancel a ticket for free within 24 hours of booking a flight and travel agents/airlines cannot levy cancellation charges which are more than the base price plus fuel surcharge.

The airline fraternity has pointed out a few shortcomings in these rules and is asking the ministry to reconsider the passenger draft.

Mr. Biji Eapen, National President of IATA Agents Association Of India, has written to the ministry saying that fuel charges cannot be a part of the cancellation charges. Any attempt to include this cost in the basic price, without merging both base fare and fuel charges together, is illegal and a violation of the law.

In fact, according to the “Aircraft Rules 1937”, base fare is the price of the airline ticket before adding the tax, fees and surcharge.

This is why Mr. Eapen has asked the ministry to review and amend the draft to specify that, airline ticket cancellation charges, under any circumstances, shouldn’t be more than the base fare.

Aviation analysts say that charging a cancellation fee more than the basic fare is quite illogical. This is because, the aircraft is not burning any fuel on the account of the passenger who has cancelled their ticket and only the basic price of the ticket should be refunded.

Airlines in India started adding fuel surcharge to basic airfares in 2005 on account of volatile fuel prices. Most airlines in the world include fuel cost in the original price of a ticket and add a fuel surcharge during the booking process.

The new norms are expected to be notified by 15th July 2018, after the ministry analyses the public comments on the proposed charter.

Read more about the “Changes Proposed By Civil Aviation Ministry In New Passenger Charter”

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Flight Operations Resume At Bali International Airport!

AirWhizzJun 30, 2018 No Comments

Flight Operations Resume At Bali International Airport!

Aviation Insider

Flight operations at Bali’s international airport have resumed after the Indonesian government shut down the airport due to a volcanic eruption at Mount Agung.

Government authorities had announced that the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali would be closed from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday. However, a favourable change in the wind direction allowed the airport to resume flights by 2:30 p.m.

Shutting down of Bali Airport led to cancellation of almost 450 flights including 207 international ones. This affected 75000 air travellers globally.

Amongst these stranded travellers , there were a few Indians as well. The Consulate General Of India(CGI), Bali, had set up a help desk at the airport to assist Indian nationals.

According to a report, there was a group of 10 Indians holidaying in Indonesia and one of their relatives tweeted to CGI asking for help. CGI responded to the appeal and told him that the Bali airport had reopened at 2.30 p.m. and that his relatives should contact the airline to reschedule their flights.

Indonesian authorities have said that the airport was safe from the volcano since it’s about 60 -70 kms away. But, due to the ash clouds rising almost 16454 feet above sea level, they had to shut down flight operations.

Air Asia had cancelled almost 50 flights, while airlines such as Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines and PT Garuda had to temporarily shut their operations down in Bali.

Last year in November, the airport was shut down for more than a day because of high volcanic activity in the region. This led to a loss of more than $1 billion for the country’s tourism industry.

The government has suspended all tourist activity near Mount Agung and everyone within a vicinity of 4 kms from the mountain has evacuated the area.

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Indonesia Shuts Down Bali Airport After Volcano Erupts At Mount Agung!

AirWhizzJun 29, 2018 No Comments

Indonesia Shuts Down Bali Airport After Volcano Erupts At Mount Agung!

Aviation Insider

The Indonesian government has shut down Bali’s international airport after a Volcanic eruption on Thursday evening.

Here are all the details about the incident –

  • Mount Agung, a popular tourist destination in Bali, erupted last night sending volcanic ashes several miles high into the sky.
  • Almost 450 flights have been cancelled, which include 207 international flights.
  • It is estimated that 75000 air travellers have been affected by this incident.
  • Domestic airports at Banyuwangi and Jember in Java have also been closed down.
  • Airlines such as PT Garuda, Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways have cancelled all their flights to and from Bali.
  • AirAsia Indonesia has cancelled at least 50 flights.

The Airport was shut down at 3:00 a.m. local time, and authorities will review the closing at 12:00 p.m. today, after taking into account the latest volcanic ash distribution data.

Indonesian authorities have closed down the Ngurah Rai International Airport, in Bali, for the second time in seven months due to volcanic activity in the region.

Mt. Agung, which is about 70 kilometres northeast of Bali’s tourist hotspot, Kuta, last had a major eruption in the year 1963, taking the lives of about 1,100 people.

National disaster agencies had issued a ‘High Alert’ after increased volcanic activity at the mountain in 2017,causing thousands of people to evacuate nearby cities. However, things became normal by February 2018 and authorities lowered the alert status.

Indonesia is located in the Pacific’s “Ring Of Fire” region which is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. There are almost 120 active volcanos in the region which is monitored by government and other seismologic agencies.

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Passengers Can Check-in For Flights From Hotels Near Mumbai Airport!

AirWhizzJun 28, 2018 No Comments

Passengers Can Check-in For Flights From Hotels Near Mumbai Airport!

Aviation Insider

Passengers travelling from Mumbai Airport will now be able to remotely check-in for their flights from hotels located near the airport.

Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has installed self-check-in kiosks at 3 transit hotels within the airport and 6 hotels located outside the premises.

Here are all the details about it-

  • The self-check-in kiosks have been installed at the Sahara Star, Hyatt, Taj Santa Cruz, ITC Maratha, Hilton and The Lalit.
  • MIAL is in the process of installing these Kiosks at 5 other hotels located nearby.
  • Flyers will be able to check-in for their flight without any human interaction. This type of platform is known as Common Use Self Service(CUSS) Kiosk.
  • With the help of these CUSS kiosks, travellers will be able to print their boarding pass and baggage tags for their check-in luggage before leaving the hotel.
  • Passengers can move directly to the security queue once they reach the airport.
  • This system will make the entire check-in experience electronic.

The upgrade of IT infrastructure inside Terminal 1 of the Mumbai Airport has also made it fully self-check-in compliant.

Airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir are now on the CUSS platform with baggage tag-enabled kiosks and self-bag drop facility. Passengers can generate their boarding pass and baggage tag from the kiosk and move to either the fast bag drop or self-bag drop counter.

The concept of “self-bag drop” has been implemented by many airports outside India for a while now. However, Mumbai airport implemented this system back in 2016 when it introduced self-check-in kiosks equipped to print out boarding passes and baggage tags inside the airport.

With the implementation of the CUSS platform, Terminal 1 at the Mumbai Airport becomes the first terminal in India to have a fully automated check-in system.

Airport officials have said that they are trying to bring more airlines on this platform for the convenience of passengers.

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Airlines Go Eco-Friendly After Ban On Plastic In Maharashtra!

AirWhizzJun 27, 2018 No Comments

Airlines Go Eco-Friendly After Ban On Plastic In Maharashtra!

Aviation Insider

Plastic cutlery and bottles may become a thing of the past on airplanes, as airlines in India go eco-friendly.

The decision to cut down on plastic has been taken by airlines to comply with Maharashtra government’s rule of banning plastic in the state.

There is still a grey area as to whether the state government’s decision is applicable to airplanes, however, airlines are doing their part.

Use of plastic cutlery is a common practice on flights , especially in economy cabins and low-cost airlines. Other plastic items used on flights include water bottles, food wrappers, trash bags and covers of headphones/blankets.

The government has banned the use of single disposable plastic items such as spoons, forks ,cups and glasses. Items such as plastic bags and wrappers are also included in the ban.

Here’s what domestic airlines are doing to go eco-friendly-

  • GoAir has stopped using plastic cutlery on their flights.
  • Air India is replacing plastic cups onboard with those made of bone china or paper.
  • Vistara will reduce the use of plastic on their flights by 50% this year by replacing plastic casseroles with aluminum dishes, plastic straws and stirrers with paper or wooden ones and disposable bowls in economy class with reusable containers.

According to Vistara, the airline is actively in touch with its vendors and considering alternative ways for packaging water, to avoid the use of plastic. In fact, Vistara is the first airline in India to use ‘Oxo-Biodegradable’ cutlery and serve meals in  Forest Stewardship Council(FSC) certified meal boxes.

Jet Airways has also come out with a statement saying that most equipment onboard is reusable and the airline has been doing its part to minimize environmental impact. They have been using paper cups , bio-degradable bags and insulated boxes for hot and cold items to be served on their flights.

With airlines going green, the ban on plastic items will not only benefit Maharashtra but also have a positive domino effect on other states in India.

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Flights Will Be Rescheduled At The Chennai Airport For Taxiway Work

AirWhizzJun 26, 2018 No Comments

Flights Will Be Rescheduled At The Chennai Airport For Taxiway Work

Aviation Insider

In a bid to improve operations at the Chennai Airport, Airports Authority of India(AAI) has started the construction of new taxiways.

Airport authorities have announced that due to this construction, 2 international flights will be rescheduled and many domestic flights will have to use the second runway.

Here are all the details about it-

  • 4 exit taxiways have been under construction and the work to link them to the main runway will begin next month.
  • AAI is also making a parallel taxiway on the north side of the main runway.
  • For this purpose, the main runway will be closed for a few hours every day, for about 9 months.
  • The runway will be closed in 2 phases – from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in July and August, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from September.
  • The departure of a Saudi Airlines flight has been rescheduled from 12:30 p.m. to 11:15 a.m. The airline will be given a different schedule during winters.
  • Air India flights and a Cathay Pacific flight will also be rescheduled however the timings have not been specified for now.

According to an AAI official, they have selected non-peak hours to do this construction work because wide-bodied aircrafts generally don’t operate during this time.

He also said that AAI has done all the assessments and discussions. All airlines have agreed to use the second runway and reschedule flights that fall within this closure period.

The rapid exit taxiways and the parallel taxiway are being constructed to reduce the time taken by the airplane to move out of the runway after landing. It will help airplanes to move out in less than 70 seconds after landing.

With new taxiways, Chennai Airport, which currently handles 450 flights daily, will be able to handle 500 airplanes per day.

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Everything You Need To Know About The Bangalore Airport!

AirWhizzJun 25, 2018 No Comments

Everything You Need To Know About The Bangalore Airport!

Aviation Insider

Since its inauguration in 2008, Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport(KIA) has made travel easy for passengers passing through the city.

With its efficiency and infrastructure quality, KIA has become one of the best airports in India and a recognised name globally.

Yet, many of us are unaware of the years of dedication and planning that has gone in making this modern marvel.

So, let’s take a look at this airport’s journey and what it has achieved over the years.

History

Bangalore’s main airport till 2008 was the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) airport, which was built in 1942.

During early 2000’s ,as Bangalore grew into the ‘Silicon Valley’ of India and the air passenger traffic continued to increase, HAL airport traffic started rising at the rate of roughly 35% per year.

In fact, between 2006-2007 the airport received 8.2 million passengers, well above its capacity of 3.6 million. Airport authorities had predicted that they would have to face such a situation in the future and were well prepared for it.

In 1999, Airports Authority Of India(AAI) and the Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) signed a Memorandum Of Understanding(MoU) for the development of a new airport in Bangalore. The project, however, kept on getting postponed due to delays in government approval.

Finally on January 2001,the state government set up the Bangalore International Airport Limited(BIAL) with AAI and KSIIDC. Unique Zürich Airport, Siemens Project Ventures and Larsen & Toubro were attracted to this project and invested in it.

After a lot of government delays and other complications, the airport’s construction finally started on 2nd July 2005. It took 32 months to construct the airport and after a few minor hiccups the Bangalore International Airport was inaugurated in May 2008. The HAL airport was closed down immediately.

In 2009 the State Government sent a proposal to the Union Government to rename the airport. This proposal got accepted in 2013 and the name of the airport was changed from Bangalore International Airport to Kempegowda International Airport.

Awards & Recognition

1.Bangalore Airport was given the honour of the “Best Airport in India” at the Skytrax ‘World Airport Awards’ in 2011.

2.The airport received a ‘Gold’ rating in Leadership in Energy And Environmental Design(LEED) from Indian Green Building Council(IGBC) in 2013

3.BIAL received the prestigious “STAT Times International Award” for Cargo excellence in 2014

4.KIA was recognised as the “Best Regional Airport in Central Asia” at the Skytrax ‘World Airport Awards’ In 2015

5.Bangalore Airport won the award for “Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia” at the Skytrax ‘World Airport Awards’ in 2017.

Interesting Facts About The Bangalore Airport

1.The HAL airport was used by the British Royal Navy to protect India from Japan during World War II.

2.Bangalore airport was the first airport in India to be developed under a “Public-Private Partnership”.

3.The airport has been named after the founder of Bangalore, Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempe Gowda.

4.It is the busiest airport in South India and the 3rd busiest airport in India, serving more than 20 million passengers annually.

5.Terminal 1 of the airport has been designed by Global architectural leaders “HOK”.

6.Bangalore Airport will be the first airport in India to use a humanoid robot called ‘Kempa’, to assist passengers travelling to the airport.

7.Authorities are planning to make KIA a fully solar-powered airport by 2020.

8.BIAL is going to expand the airport by adding a new ‘Terminal 2’, by 2021. The construction of T2 is already underway and it is said that once this terminal is built, Bangalore airport will be able to handle 65 million passengers annually.

If you want to know about things to do at the Bangalore Airport, look no further. Download the AirWhizz app and get information about different places to eat, shop & relax at KIA along with real-time flight updates the next time you fly.

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Airlines In India Hike Excess Baggage Fees!

AirWhizzJun 25, 2018 No Comments

Airlines In India Hike Excess Baggage Fees!

Aviation Insider

Make sure you double check the weight of your luggage the next time you fly!

Airlines in India announced on Saturday that they have hiked the fees for excess luggage.

IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir will now charge Rs 400 per kg extra for every kilo beyond 15 Kg, which was previously priced at Rs 300 per kg. These airlines have also increased their charges for pre-booked excess baggage by almost 33%.

Here are the details of the price hike for different airlines –

IndiGo/GoAir –  The 2 airlines will now charge Rs 1900 for extra 5kg , Rs 3800 for extra 10kg, Rs 5700 for extra 15Kg and Rs 11,400 for extra 30 kg ‘pre-booked’ luggage.

SpiceJet – The airline has increased the price to Rs 1600 for extra 5kg , Rs 3200 for extra 10kg, Rs 4800 for extra 15kg, Rs 6400 for extra 20 kg and Rs 9600 for extra 30 kg ‘pre-booked’ luggage.

Air India – The airline, which allows passengers to carry up to 25kg of free luggage, had earlier this month increased excess baggage charges from Rs 400 to Rs 500 per kg.

Jet Airways – The airline announced last week that they will be changing their baggage policy from the ‘Weight’ concept to ‘Piece’ concept for check-in luggage on all their domestic flights.

* Read More About The Revised Excess Baggage Rules For Jet Airways.

Aviation experts say that since airlines cannot increase the price on their tickets, they have to increase their ancillary revenue.

Ancillary revenue is the airline’s earning from non-ticketing resources such as excess baggage fees, onboard sale of food and beverages, cancellation fees etc.

Experts also suggest that the hike in excess baggage fee is a way of discouraging passengers from carrying more luggage, as a lighter load would mean less fuel burn for airplanes.

With the increase in jet fuel prices globally and the value of rupee going down, airlines are finding it difficult to maintain their profits. While airfares have largely remained the same, the price of jet fuel has risen by 22% and the rupee has depreciated by 6% since January 2018.

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